The Secret
by alishagyt
Summary: Shiatsu was an ordinary shinobi in Konohagakure...or at least that's what Kakashi thought. What happens when he realizes his feelings but finds out something that will change their lives? And what gets in their way? KakaXOOC
1. The Beginning

"Time's up! Good job everyone. You're free to leave." Lazily, Kakashi got out "Icha Icha Paradise" while dismissing his 3 students. All of them besides a 21 year old chunin had already left.She sat down on the cool earth, panting, with sweat dripping from her forehead. Her pale skin had become flushed and her shoulders were trembling. _I feel like I'm gonna throw up..._ she thought.

She suddenly felt someone's hand on her shoulder and heard a familiar voice behind her. "Calm down. You're going to get yourself sick like that." She turned to see Kakashi's reassuring face. "You did well. Just be easy on yourself." The blonde-haired, blue-eyed chunin nodded while trying to get up, but stumbled in the attempt. "Here." Kakashi held out his hand and she firmly grasped it. Once she was back on her feet, she thanked her sensei.

"..." He had already gotten back to his book. The chunin wasn't happy about this, but didn't say a thing. She had begun to collect her things when Kakashi said, "Shiatsu, don't forget about the exam tomorrow." "I won't," she replied.

_The jounin exam...If I pass, I'll become a jounin..._ Shiatsu thought. Once she entered her house, she yelled, "I'm home!" No answer.

_Of course there's no answer,_ she thought. _My parents will never come home. Nor my brother..._

Shiatsu opened the door to her room and closed it with a sigh.

"Hello."

Like lightning, she grabbed her shuriken and threw them behind her. She quickly spun around and before she could grab more shuriken, she spotted Kakashi by her door, shuriken outlining his head.

"With a move like that, you just might be able to pass the exam."

"Kakashi-sensei! What're you doing here!"

"I'm going to help you."

"With what?"

"I want to help you train for the exam. Remember how you almost got sick at practice?"

"Yeah..."

"I'm going to prevent that from happening."

He plucked one of her shuriken off the wall and twirled it between his fingers nonchalantly.

"So...when can we start?" He stopped twirling the shuriken and flung it at her. She was too shocked to move. Ka-thunk! The shuriken had just flown past her face and settled into her poster of a wolf.

"Right now," he replied. "But first, let's go to a more appropriate area."

Shiatsu and Kakashi ended up at a field surrounded by woods at all angles.

"Wha...What is this place?" Shiatsu asked as her eyes searched the area. "This is my favorite place to read. The calming aromas should prevent any sickness." "Hm..."

As the hours passed, Kakashi had already taught the chunin how to relieve stress and how to stay calm while fighting.

"Okay. Now for last. If you've tried all these but still end up like earlier, you can always use the last of your chakra to transport yourself to a safer area. And, well...that's all I can think of." Kakashi started to walk off.

"Kakashi-sensei! Wait up!" The chunin girl ran after him and even walked beside him, but he didn't seem to notice. She started to get really ticked off so she did something she would regret later on. She put her mouth close to Kakashi's ear and yelled his name. Kakashi quickly covered his ear and turned to Shiatsu saying, "What the he--!" He couldn't finish the sentence for his lips had met hers. Both shinobi were shocked at what had just happened.

_Oh m' God! Kakashi's kissing me!_

_Oh...crap...This is not what I intended!_

Even though Kakashi's mask was blocking their lips, it still counted as a kiss.

_Ugh...that nauseating feeling is coming again!_ thought Shiatsu. She did a few hand signs and disappeared from the field.

Kakashi was left there, still in shock. His hand slowly touched his lips. _That feeling...It was real..."Icha Icha Paradise" could never make me feel this way..._

Later that night, Shiatsu had already fallen asleep, but Kakashi could not. He kept rolling over in bed and even read some "Icha Icha Paradise", but that did not satisfy him. He still had "it" on his mind.

_That feeling...It was unlike any other...it wasn't pain...Is this...?_

He threw the covers off the bed and placed his hand on his forehead. _I...that feeling...Shiatsu..._ He picked up his alarm clock. 3:00 am. _It's 3 in the morning...I need to see Shiatsu...Impossible...She can't possibly be up right now...Maybe a short walk will get my mind off of things..._

He quickly put his clothes on and headed out the door.

His walk took him to the same field where he taught Shiatsu earlier. The cool smell of a nighttime forest infiltrated his senses and a nice summer breeze ruffled his hair slightly. The cool atmosphere eased his mind.

As Kakashi walked on, he thought he heard someone whispering through the trees. He followed the sound, shoving forest and brush aside as he went.

Once he got through the brush, he appeared in a clearing with a big, engraved stone in the center. His eye slowly covered the whole area but stopped when he saw a hooded figure. As he looked closer, he saw that it was using a hand sign and was mouthing silent words at the foot of the stone.

_Nobody's up this early...Well, besides me of course...Has it already spotted me?_

Silently, he snuck up behind the person and pulled out a kunai blade from his pouch, placing it lightly against the figure's neck.

"Don't move."

The figure started to shake. _Is this thing laughing at me?_

Kakashi grabbed its shoulder and spun it around so that it faced him. He was shocked at what he found. "Shiatsu?"

He looked down and saw a crying Shiatsu, tears streaming down her face. "Ka-Kakashi?"

"What's wrong?" he asked. As he brushed the hair from her face, she said nothing.

"Shiatsu, what are you doing here?"

Again, she didn't reply but stood in front of the stone. Kakashi stood next to her, but she kept staring at it. Kakashi followed her gaze to three names: Yura Hirogata, Shiro Hirogata, and Kitosai Hirogata.

"Are these your...parents?" he asked.

Shiatsu nodded and added, "Also my brother."

Kakashi started to feel guilty for asking her questions about this depressing subject, but he needed to know more about her.

"So...do you live alone?"

She nodded again and broke down. She started trembling and sobbing uncontrollably. Now Kakashi felt really bad and tried comforting her.

He wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on hers.

"That's it. Get all those feelings out."

A few minutes passed with Shiatsu resting in his arms. Once she fell asleep, Kakashi sat down by the stone and placed her head on his lap. He ran his fingers through her hair a couple times and started to get sleepy.

He carried Shiatsu in his arms and quickly escaped the nighttime forest. He wandered the empty village streets until he came across her small deserted apartment. A sad look appeared on his face and he thought, _Alone...I can't leave her like that tonight after what she went through...How can she live in the same place that contains such depressing memories?_

Instead of using the front door, he went around back and leapt into her bedroom window. He gently placed Shiatsu on her bed and looked around her room. The shuriken were still lodged in her walls so he took the liberty of removing them.

_With these weapons...she's a very skilled girl..._

He wandered back to Shiatsu and kneeled beside her bed. He stared at her sleeping image, and then at her lips. _That feeling..._

Kakashi leaned closer to her face until he could feel her breath on his face. His hand ran through her hair. Shiatsu quietly muttered "forest" and rolled over. Kakashi slowly reeled back thinking, _I should let her sleep..._

He leaned against her bed, bowed his head, and fell asleep.

"Mmm..." Shiatsu stretched her arms towards the sun and opened her eyes. She rolled over and stretched again, but one of her hands hit an unfamiliar, fluffy object.

With her vision still blurry she thought it was a silver bush. _What the heck?_

She ruffled it, but it didn't make a sound. Shortly her eyes returned to normal and she realized that she was toying with hair. _Whose is this?_

She pulled the covers off the bed and grabbed a large kunai off her desk. She flung the covers over the person, leapt on it, and placed the kunai roughly against where its neck would be.

Still unbeknownst that it was Kakashi she had trapped, she asked, "Who are you? What do you want?"

She pressed the knife harder on his neck so that it started to draw blood.

The shocked Kakashi under the blankets thought, _She still doesn't know who I am...Let's see what she can do...But I can't let her know it's me..._

He grabbed the hand that was holding the kunai and in a blink of an eye, Shiatsu was lying on her stomach with Kakashi sitting on her holding the blade to the back of her neck.

"Urgh!" Shiatsu struggled under Kakashi's weight until she felt the cold steel of the shuriken prick the back of her neck. She stopped moving when she heard someone say, "Don't move."

The stress she was under caused her to get the fever again. Then she remembered what Kakashi had said yesterday.

With a poof, she had disappeared on the outside side of her door. She pulled kunai from her pouch tracing her fingers along the edge. _Perfect..._

She backed up and jump kicked the door, flinging her knives. They landed immediately in Kakashi's vital areas. He sank to his knees and fell into a pool of blood.

Shiatsu walked over to him and rolled him over on his back. Kakashi's blank eye stared back.

"K-k-Ka...Kashi?" Her only reply was the staring eye. Shiatsu was petrified. _Kakashi...I...KILLED him..._ She fell to her knees and stared at her trembling hands.

_I ended Kakashi's life...I can't live with more grief..._

Outside, under Shiatsu's window was the real Kakashi reading "Icha Icha Paradise".

_Hm...She's taking a while...I should check on her..._

Kakashi peeked his head through the window, seeing his doppelganger covered with blades.

_Hm...They all have hit a vital area that kills on the spot...She certainly has good aim--OH MY GOD!_

Beside the fake Kakashi was Shiatsu, holding a kunai blade to her heart.

"I don't deserve to live...Too many people have already died because of me...I might as well die!" Her trembling hands edged the kunai closer to her flesh. "Mother, Father...Kitosai...and now Kakashi..." With her last ounce of strength, she jammed the blade into her ribs.

"Stop that!"

Kakashi leapt through her window and slapped the kunai from her hands. Shiatsu could only stare at him before collapsing.

"Shiatsu!"

Kakashi rushed the chunin to her bed, thinking, _How could this happen? She should've been able to see through it!_

Once he set her down, he saw that she was bleeding terribly through her shirt and vest. He knew what he had to do. He had to bandage her wound, but to do that, he's got to...undress her.

_Oh boy...breathes deeply...I can do this..._

Kakashi started tearing off her vest and shirt until he saw flesh. He started to blush but shook the thought out of his mind. _I've got to do this._ He pulled out a cloth and wiped away the blood so that he could locate the wound. She had just missed her heart. _Thank God..._ he thought. He did a quick healing jutsu and bandaged her up.

"Mmm..." Shiatsu was starting to wake.

_Oh good, she's waking up...Oh crap! She's waking up!_

Before Kakashi could escape, she spotted him.

"Kakashi, what happened?"

He knew he was trapped, so he decided to explain. He told her that she was taking the exam and that she had almost killed herself.

"So...How did I do?"

"Well, let's just say that you're a jounin!"

Shiatsu was overwhelmed by the good news and hugged Kakashi. "I can't believe I passed!" Kakashi patted her on the back, even though she cringed and said, "Yep! You're now and official jounin."

"What about the others? Mitsume and Kazemaru?"

"Uh...they didn't quite make it...I tested them earlier with shadow clones."

"Hmmm..."

"What is it now?"

"Well, could you remove that dead Kakashi over there? It's starting to creep me out."

"Oh...right."

Kakashi turned toward his dead image with his hands together. In an instant, it vanished, leaving no trace that it had ever existed.

Shiatsu's face lit up in a wide grin, so Kakashi couldn't help but smile also. Even though his face was covered by his mask, his eye had that little friendly squint. He ruffled her hair, just as he did when she was younger and bided her farewell.

Before he could jump out the window, Shiatsu asked, "Where are you going?"

Kakashi looked at her as if she was nuts, but instantly forgave her stupidity due to her current state. With that same smiling squint in his eye, he replied, "Why, I'm gong home of course! After what happened today, you can't get healed without lots of rest! Besides, I have business to attend to."

He did a quick goodbye salute and was in jumping position until Shiatsu yelled, "Wait!"

Again, he paused and waited for her question. "What?"

"How come you gave us the test instead of Tsunade?"

Kakashi started to get impatient with all of her stupid questions, but he calmly replied, "Because she is very busy and asked me to test you in her place."

Before she could ask another question, he had already jumped out the window. Shiatsu cocked her head, where Kakashi escaped and covered her head with her blanket. In a few minutes, she was fast asleep.

Kakashi unlocked the front door to his apartment and set his belongings down. He went into his room and saw a small letter upon his bed. He picked it up and unfolded it.

"Kakashi Hatake,

You are required to attend a rank A mission in the Village hidden in Mist tonight. We are sorry for the short notice. Be safe.  
Tsunade, the 5th Hokage"

Kakashi threw the notice away and headed back outside. _Great, now I won't be able to read "Icha Icha Paradise"..._

He grabbed his things, adjusted his headband, and leapt into the darkness.

☼

"Mmm...hunh? AFTERNOON?"

Shiatsu had once again slept in and is screaming bloody murder at her alarm clock for not waking her up, but in the village plaza, something else was going on.

Kakashi had just gotten back from the mission, but was in horrible state. He was covered with cuts and blood, and a huge gash ran from his mid thigh down to his calf, which caused him to limp. His clothes were shredded and he hadn't pulled his headband back down.

As he wandered the village, he was followed by stares and gasps. He had thought they were staring at his sharingan eye, so he covered it with his bloody hand.

He passed by the Ichirakun Noodle stand to only be spotted by Iruka. He knew sooner or later he'd be caught, so he greeted him with a "yo".

"Kakashi, what happened?"

Kakashi continued on walking as if Iruka hadn't asked him anything, but Iruka stopped him with a tug on his shoulder.

Kakashi swatted him away with his left hand, revealing his sharingan eye. Iruka was paralyzed with fear as the eye dug into his, glaring. He was left like that as Kakashi continued on his way home.

He slammed open the door to his room and plopped down onto his bed. "Dang it!" Kakashi grasped his wounded leg and tried to stop it from bleeding.

Back at Shiatsu's house, she had just removed her bandages. As she inspected herself, she saw that no trace of the wound was left. She smiled and dressed herself in her favorite shirt and vest. She hopped in her shoes and ran out the door.

The bright sun shined on the ground and...blood? Shiatsu shook some horrible memories out of her mind and kept on walking. The farther she walked, the more blood she came across. She started to get worried that something happened in the village.

Shiatsu followed the trail of blood to a small apartment. She tried the door, but it was locked. She had only one option left. Break into the room, Kakashi style.

She ran around to the back of the apartment and sprang through the window. Once she landed, she saw Kakashi's shocked face. She wondered why he was so shocked to see her until she looked below.

He was stripped of all his clothes except for boxers and his face mask. Shiatsu's face started to blush. "Kakashi, I--" Just before she could explain what she was doing in his house, she was paralyzed by a killing stare from Kakashi's sharingan eye.

She slumped onto the floor, her eyes never leaving his. He started walking towards her, but he suddenly fell onto one knee, clutching his injured leg in pain.

"Agh!"

Shiatsu was frozen no longer. She scrambled to her feet and ran to Kakashi's side.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

She kneeled beside him and took his hands off his leg. She watched in horror as blood came pouring out.

She placed her hands on the wound and did a healing jutsu. A flash of white light emanated from her hands.

After a few minutes, the light and the wound disappeared. Shiatsu removed her hands from his leg. "All finished, Kakashi-sensei."

"Please, Kakashi is just fine. I'm no longer your teacher."

"Oh, right..."

She stared down at the floor and tried not to blush. _...He's...in his boxers...that's just...Ugh! Why am I thinking that!_

Shiatsu got back on her feet and helped Kakashi up. "Thanks," he said.

"Well, I guess I should be going..."

She started to head back to the window where she had entered. Before she could even touch the windowsill, she had become paralyzed again. _Who keeps doing this to me?_

Once her legs gave way, she fell to the floor. She could almost taste it. With her ear against the ground she heard echoes of footsteps, and in a matter of seconds, Kakashi was on the opposite side of her face. His breath tickled her open ear.

"You're not going anywhere. Not yet."

Fear overcame Shiatsu, and she started to panic. What did he want? What was he going to do to her?

"Uh...you remember the 'exam' I gave you, right? Well...It was actually like a pop-quiz--"

Shiatsu sat up, almost knocking Kakashi over, and asked, "So I'm not a jounin?"

When Kakashi nodded, she became furious. Just before the thought of punching his face into oblivion came into her thoughts, he quickly added, "But don't worry! The real jounin exam is actually in three days. All your information should be in this slip of paper," he handed her a small envelope. "Also, Kazemaru-chan and Mitsume-chan will be there too."

Shiatsu's anger quickly turned into a little grin. She grabbed the windowsill and brought herself up. Kakashi followed in suit. As she stood, her eyes were drawn to his red, glowing eye. He seemed to notice so he quickly explained.

"Ah yes! I don' t think you've met my "sharingan" mirror-wheel eye, right?" He indicated with his finger.

Shiatsu shook her head. "What's a "sharingan" eye?"

"A sharingan eye is an ocular form of Ninjutsu, allowing me to penetrate and see beyond any illusion or spell and reflects the power of the magics they penetrate back on those who cast them. The sharingan can also discern and duplicate its opponent's greatest skill. Now if you don't mind, I'll be getting dressed..."

His hint of reminding Shiatsu that he was still in boxers got her up and out the window in a matter of seconds. She gave him a quick wave and leapt out the window.

He sighed and began to get dressed. _I just...didn't have the heart...to tell her what lies ahead..._

Back at Shiatsu's Home('Tis nighttime now)

Shiatsu was lying on her bed, still in her normal clothes, and was working her way into the envelope. Her hands trembled in excitement as she unfolded every piece of parchment. When she finished, she dropped the envelope carelessly on the floor and read the note.

"Dear Cell Number 4,

As you know, you have a jounin exam coming up in exactly 3 days. I will be unable to assist you, so I'm letting Kakashi-san assist you. You are to meet him on the outskirts of Konohagakure Village at dawn (4:00 am). From there you will follow his orders and you'll attempt your first A-ranked mission. If you survive and accomplish the mission, you will become an official jounin. Be safe.

Tsunade, 5th Hokage"

Shiatsu stared at the words "A-ranked mission". But even attempting the B-rank missions was tough enough. People actually die in the A-ranks! Even Kakashi didn't show up for practice once because he was in the hospital.

Her thoughts turned from excitement to fear as she thought about what might happen to her, her team, and worse, Kakashi and she started to cry. _I don't think I can do this! I'm not ready yet! I'm only 21 and--_ _You CAN do this. You're strong, brave, and you're not a coward! Together, we can kick some serious butt!_

As she and her inner-self were arguing, she set the note by the table and got into some pajamas. Once she got under the covers, her inner-self seemed to have won the war. Now filled with good thoughts, Shiatsu slowly began to fall asleep as she awaited the upcoming exam

On the day of the test

The sun had started to rise and reflected off of Shiatsu's "hitai-ate" leaf headband. As she came into view of the front gate, she clenched her hands tight into a fist. She inhaled deeply and trudged forward.

"Hey, look what the cat dragged in!"

Shiatsu almost landed face-first on the earth as she was suddenly hugged by Mitsume from behind.

"Mitsume! Do you always have to do that!"

Mitsume scratched his head and plastered a sheepish smile on his face and replied, "Well...yeah! I do!"

"Mitsume, don't pummel her into non-existence."

Shiatsu and "clingy" looked behind them to see Kazemaru impatiently watching them.

"Aren't we supposed to be on a mission?" he reminded.

Mitsume nodded and Shiatsu hesitated before nodding.

"Good, then let's go." "All right! Come on, Shiatsu, g'ddyup!" "Mitsume! Will you please get off me!"

After Shiatsu had pried Mitsume off her back, they set out towards the gate. They stopped as the gates slowly creaked open.

"Hello!"

Everyone jumped as Kakashi had snuck up behind them. Kazemaru was heaving and looked as if he was about to keel over. Shiatsu was trembling and yelled, "Give me a heart attack, why don'cha!"

"Wait a minute..."

Shiatsu and Kazemaru looked at Mitsume and even Kakashi had cocked his head in confusion. Mitsume glanced at the sun, then at Kakashi, and then back at the sun.

"This...This mean..."

"What? What does this mean?" asked Shiatsu.

Mitsume stared at Kakashi in shock and finished with, "This means that...Kakashi-sensei's EARLY!"

"WHAT!"

All eyes were on Kakashi and no one said a word. But, Mitsume was right. This was the first-time that Kakashi had ever been early, and everyone was shocked.

Unable to bear the silence any longer, Kakashi spoke up, "Well...I think we should get going. You can't become a jounin by just gawking at me!"

He started off and gestured his team to follow. Dumbfounded, his pupils followed him into the depths of unfamiliar land and a future of blood...


	2. Enter Itachi Uchiha

As the trio of chunin and their jounin leader traveled through the forest, they came across a sign that looked as though it had been purposely slashed at with a sword. It said:

"YOU ARE NOW ENTERING KIRIGAKURE TERRITORY"

Shiatsu studied the sign before asking Kakashi, "What are we doing here?"

Kakashi hesitated before replying. "…There is a person…Whom we must kill…"

A thrilled Kazemaru spoke up, "Whom? Who must we kill?"

Kakashi didn't reply, but he continued to walk on. Tsunade…Why did you ask of me this mission?...

After an hour walking in the woods…

As time passed, Kakashi had been sensing a large amount of chakra in the forest, and by now, the amount was overwhelming. This is it, he thought. _He's_ coming…

"Okay, team! We'll settle here tonight. And, Shiatsu, I need to speak with you."

Mitsume and Kazemaru prepared the camp, while Kakashi and Shiatsu wandered into brush a couple minutes from the campsite.

Once Kakashi stopped, Shiatsu asked, "So…What did you want to talk to me about?"

Kakashi bent down so he was eye-level with the kunoichi (female ninja) and placed his hands on her shoulders. His look was stern and their noses almost touched.

"Shiatsu, you may not know who we're fighting against, but I do. He wouldn't think twice about killing a girl, in fact, he didn't think twice about killing his own family! So be on your guard and promise me one thing."

"What?"

Kakashi looked deep into her eyes before saying, "Don't you dare die!"

"Kakashi…"

He released her and headed back for the campsite, but Shiatsu stayed where she was. Is Kakashi that concerned about me?

Shiatsu kept pondering, unbeknownst that she was being closely watched, very closely, in fact right behind her.

Earth style! The barrier of cutting leaves jutsu!

The leaves around Shiatsu's feet slowly started swirling around her legs and up to her waist.

"Wha-what's going on!" There's no wind! Who could be doing this!"

The swirling torrent of leaves had already created a barrier around her entire body and had reached such high speeds that they were almost invisible.

She slowly reached out her hand to pass through, but she reeled back in pain. Her fingers had been cut and blood poured from the wounds.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Shiatsu turned behind her to find a boy around her age with long black hair and eyes similar to Kakashi's sharingan eye. He bore the Konoha leaf symbol with a large engraved line across it on his hitai-ate leaf headband. His glare was cold and hateful.

A cold chill tickled the back of her neck as he circled her.

"Hmph. Another one of Konohagakure's 'mighty' ninjas. You don't stand a chance. In a short time, you'll be cut to ribbons by leaves."

"So it was YOU who did this!"

The boy laughed and said, "You catch on well. And what face do you think your precious Kakashi would do if he saw you dead? Or…Should it be the other way around?"

"Don't you DARE hurt him!" Shiatsu clapped her hands together and performed several katas. Fire style! Phoenix Fireball Jutsu! She cupped a hand around her mouth as large flames shot out around her. All the leaves shriveled up and she stepped closer to the boy. "You're finished."

The boy started to laugh and said, "Do you even know who I am? I am an Uchiha. I have killed many with these hands…" He slowly brought both of his hands to chest level. "Do you think you can match that…?"

Shiatsu stepped closer and replied, "I too have killed my family and many others…I came from a family that carried a very strong kekkei-genkai (a skill passed from one generation to the next), but I was the only one to obtain and release it…upon them…_It_ killed them and now _it_ will kill you…"

Itachi silently chuckled as he watched Shiatsu. Her chakra had increased immensely and seemed to glow around her body. Her pupiless eyes stared into his and she gave an evil grin.

Itachi glared at her and smiled, She's not using an illusion…it's…real…

Shiatsu rushed at him at an incredible speed, intent on killing him. Itachi didn't even bat an eyelash, instead he performed a long list of katas.

All of her power will be mine…Merging Possession Jutsu!

His body began to glow and he ran straight at Shiatsu. A smirk appeared on his face before they collided. Once they touched, Itachi melted into her body.

Shiatsu fell to her knees, clutching her stomach.

"What is this! Aarrgh!" She rolled herself into a ball and gave out little grunts of pain. "What are you doing to me!"

…those pathetic friends of yours and that man will die…by _your_ hands…

"NOO!" She clamped her hands onto her head shouting, "No, no! Get out of me!" Shiatsu struggled to maintain control of her body. "No…no……" She stopped. Her hands fell from her head and she stood up, smiling. Her sharingan eyes glinted in the sun. A small smile slid across her lips.

She cupped a hand over her eyes and slowly slid it down her face. Her fire-red eyes turned back into her normal blue eyes. "Now to finish what I've started." With Itachi's evil smirk, she headed back to the campsite.

But hidden in the leaves of a tree nearby was Kakashi. He had seen and heard everything that had just taken place. The look on his face was pure terror. He was trembling and couldn't believe any of it. "No…not this, not her…"

Realizing that there was nothing more to do, he returned back to the campsite.

Once he reached the clearing, he saw that everyone was asleep, even Shiatsu. He stared at her long and hard, remembering that this is Itachi now. The person who he was told to kill has become the one he holds most dear.

Kakashi took one last look of sadness upon her innocent form, leaned against a tree, and kept watch on Itachi.

"Kakashi-sensei! Wake-up!"

"Hunh? Wha?"

After being rudely awoken by Mitsume, Kakashi punched him on the head.

"Owwww! What the heck was that for!" cried Mitsume while rubbing the new lump on he forehead.

"It's for waking your ninja master when he's sleeping!"

Mitsume left to the other side of camp mumbling something like "jerk" and "sleeps too late".

Kakashi's visible eye roamed the early morning scenery, and he thought, I must've dozed off… His thoughts soon turned to hatred as he spotted "Shiatsu". She was sitting by the burnt out campfire, glaring his way. He glared back.

The usually lazy jounin slowly got up and stretched. He wandered over to where Shiatsu was and sat down beside her. He playfully ruffled her hair and greeted her with a "good morning". She only turned away. "Hey, aren't you going to say 'good morning', Shiatsu?" he asked.

She turned his way again and said, "Good morning," before turning away once more.

"Well aren't you a little demon this morning…" Kakashi left her for fear of being killed just by speaking. He quickly gathered some belongings and again looked at her. His eyes filled with sadness. Why, Itachi? Why her?

He put on his pack and yelled, "Alright, team, time to move out!"

As their long walk led by Shiatsu continued, Kakashi became worried. Where are you taking us Itachi? What have you planned? But Kazemaru seemed to ask Kakashi's question for him.

He caught up with Shiatsu and asked, "Hey, do you really know where you're going?"

Shiatsu calmly replied, "Of course I do, why wouldn't I?"

"Well, we've never been on a mission in Kirigakure territory before…"

"So?"

"So…We don't have any experience of this land—"

"Well, I do."

"Since when? We've never left the village before, except that one time when we had to run some errands…"

It seemed as though Kazemaru had caught on so she said nothing more.

Confused, Kazemaru slowed down until he was beside his sensei.

"Kakashi-sensei…Shiatsu doesn't seem like herself today…"

"Yeah," added Mitsume. "She's being awfully strange…"

Kakashi stopped in his tracks. This can't go on any longer…they're already concerned… "You two stay here. I'll be back."

He approached "Shiatsu" cautiously, and she seemed to notice. She spun around facing him. Just as she did, a kunai-knife was against her throat.

"Let her go…Itachi!"

A smirk appeared on her face and her eyes became sharingans.

Kakashi watched in horror and thought, His chakra…is much more intense! Is it because of Shiatsu!

As Itachi's sharingan eyes dug into his, he started to feel immense pain. He fell to his knees, clutching his head and screaming pain.

Mitsume and Kazemaru saw their sensei suffering and were horrified. They stared in shock as Shiatsu looked their way. She tilted her head in a way that made a cracking sound, making them uncomfortable.

They watched as she performed countless katas, unable to move. Thorns of Blood Jutsu!

Large thorn vines sprouted from the ground and encaged the two chunin. As they struggled, they were quickly cut.

Shiatsu chuckled to herself as she saw blood pour from between each opening. "Pathetic fools." She turned to Kakashi who had gotten over his pain and was panting. "Now what to do with you…"

He glared at her and in a flash, held her up by the neck, suspending her above the ground. His fingers dug into the curves. Gasping for air, Shiatsu asked, "Do you…really…want to…to kill…the one you…love?"

Kakashi hesitated and threw her against a tree. She gave a yelp of pain on impact. Blood dripped down her forehead as she slid down the trunk of the tree. And at that very moment, Itachi's power had loosened enough for the real Shiatsu to call Kakashi's name before blacking out.

Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke and reappeared by Shiatsu's side. He put both hands on her shoulders and shook her. "Shiatsu! What did you just say? Shiatsu!"

Shiatsu's hand trembled and he grasped it. She gazed up at him and begged. "H-help…me…Ita…chi…he…"

"What? What about Itachi? Shiatsu!"

She tried to warn him of Itachi's plan, but fell unconscious. Kakashi slid his fingers along her neck until he came across a soft pulse. Good… He gave a relieving sigh. She's still alive…but so is Itachi…

He left her by the tree as he went to check on her teammates. He spotted the pile of thorns and the puddle of blood beneath them. Ripping out his kunai blade, he slashed at the giant thorns.

After ten minutes or so, the thorns had finally been decimated and Mitsume and Kazemaru fell out. The chunin were drenched in their own blood and had large thorns sticking out of them.

Again, Kakashi slid his fingers along both necks in search of a pulse, but none could be found. They were both dead.

Kakashi buried his face in his hands. His body trembled in fear and grief. This is it, Itachi…you've gone too far…

He grabbed the kunai knife, seeped in the poison in which the thorns produced, and headed for Shiatsu. His free hand reached for his headband and he revealed his sharingan eye. He bent down on his knees and said, "Good-bye, Shiatsu…"

His eyes welled up in tears as he lifted the knife above his head. Tears streamed down his face. He began to hesitate, but knew he had to do it. His fingers tightened around the blade until his knuckles became white. He tightly closed his eyes, not wanting to see this death, and brought down the knife.

Papf!

Kakashi opened his eyes and saw that his arm was being crushed by Shiatsu's hand. She had that evil smile on her face and her eyes had turned into sharingans again. When she spoke, it sounded as though both of their voices had merged.

"Hmph. Kakashi, did you really think you could kill me just by killing your little wench here? Well, you're wrong. All the damage you do to this body doesn't affect me at all. Instead, Shiatsu suffers.

"Right now you can't hear her, but I can. She's screaming at me to give you mercy and is trying to communicate with you. Too bad. Now let's cut to the chase, Hatake, I want to see you dead and you want to see me dead. One of us is going to die in the end, and it's going to be _you_."

Kakashi glared at Itachi long and hard and couldn't feel any emotion other than pure hatred. The feeling of killing that Uchiha became intense. "You…_will_ pay for this…"


	3. The Three Way Battle

Shiatsu laughed at Kakashi's remark.

"Kakashi, Kakashi, Kakashi…Don't you know that you can't beat me? I'm not going to be leaving this body any time soon, you know? If you knew how much power this girl has…"

Kakashi slammed his free hand on the ground. "Shut-up!"

He tried to tug his other hand from Shiatsu's grasp, but she only squeezed tighter. Snapping sounds could be heard as she crushed his arm.

"Arrrgh!" He grunted in pain as his arm was being broken. He kept struggling with no success.

"Shiatsu" smiled and said, "Resistance is futile, eh, Kakashi?" She chuckled softly.

Sweating horribly, Kakashi drew back his free arm and punched her in the face. Shiatsu was so shocked that he used such a simple move unexpectedly so her hold loosened enough for Kakashi to draw back his arm. He did a few long back flips and landed clear across the field.

He watched as Shiatsu slowly got up and dusted herself off. She glared at him without a word. Her hands rose to her face and her fingers slightly crossed.

Now what's up Itachi's sleeve?...another jutsu perhaps? thought Kakashi.

"Poor Kakashi…It seems as though you are no longer able to perform jutsus with your arm like that…" she appeared to be laughing at him. "Do you think you can stand against more of me?"

As soon as she finished, twenty possessed Shiatsu's popped out of the brush. Each of them smiled malevolently at Kakashi and leapt on him.

"Crap!" Kakashi tried to fight the shadow clones and keep an eye on Itachi, but lost track of him as he was being ambushed by even more of them.

Itachi had disappeared into a nearby tree, having to fight his own war on the inside.

_You amaze me, Shiatsu. You harbor all this power, yet you have done almost nothing with it…_

_I can do whatever I want with it! Now leave Kakashi _ALONE

Inside Shiatsu's mind, a vast moor of darkness, were Itachi and Shiatsu battling for control. Imprisoned within her own mind, Shiatsu pleaded for Kakashi's safety. Itachi only chuckled and prolonged the torture.

_Please!_ she cried. _Please…Let him go…You can hurt anyone else, but not him…please…_

Itachi turned towards her and held her chin in his hand. He sneered and replied, _No…_

Back to the Outside World

Kakashi was being pummeled by Shiatsu's wielding knives and shuriken, he attacked back, but no matter how many he destroyed, more came into place.

He battled his way through the crowd thinking, _Blast! They just keep coming!_ With his right arm the way it was, jutsu wasn't an option. It was…useless…just adding more unneeded weight.

_If Itachi hadn't broken my arm, I'd be able to rid myself of these shams. Rrrg!_

His kunai knife, soaked in poisoned blood, flew through the doppelgangers. He continued slashing and hacking away until no more shadow clones remained.

Once the last one was disposed of, he wiped away all the blood from his face, his expression killing. He cracked his knuckles and twisted his neck, releasing a loud snap as if taunting Itachi.

"Come out, come out wherever you are…", he whispered. His sharingan searched the vast field for the young Uchiha. "You can't hide from me forever…"

His eye scoped out every shape and form in distinct colors. He saw the chakra that every object gave off. But what he was looking for was an unimaginable amount of chakra, such an amount that it wasn't possible, and then he found it. The same tree where Itachi had been found.

Kakashi sneered and took off.

Shiatsu's Mind

Chained up in her imagination, Shiatsu could only cry and shout insults at Itachi. He tried to ignore her harsh words, but when she spat on him, he became furious. He turned to her and grabbed her throat tightly. His look was stern and killing.

"Stop it."

"Y-you…gahk…kak…" She tried to choke out an insult, but failed. Itachi clenched harder. "You know that if it wasn't for your demonic powers you'd be dead by now. So shut-up and obey me, or your precious Kakashi will die a slow and painful death…with you watching."

A shocked look appeared on her face and she stopped struggling. Itachi let go of her and asked, "So, what will you choose to do?"

With tears dripping down her face she replied, "Fine. Do whatever you want with my powers, just don't hurt him anymore…Not Kakashi…"

A sly smile crawled across Itachi's slender lips and he added, "Don't worry…I'm not interested in lowlifes like him…I'm after something much bigger…"

Back Outside

As Kakashi approached the tree, Itachi had increased his power even more. Sensing this sent shivers down Kakashi's spine. But he had to kill Itachi.

Itachi chuckled to himself as Kakashi came closer. _…Stubborn fool…_ With a poof, he appeared less than an inch away from Kakashi.

Kakashi was trembling in anger at the Uchiha. "You…Let her go, you piece of crap!"

Itachi sneered and said, "You can't make me…"

Kakashi snickered at "Shiatsu". "I already have."

As she looked down, she saw that Kakashi had cleverly lodged a kunai blade into her stomach.

Shiatsu looked back at Kakashi and grinned as she disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Kakashi stared in shock at where Shiatsu had been. He thought in fury, _Where did that darned Itachi go! I'm tired of his tricks!_

"Behind you."

Just as Kakashi turned his head, "Shiatsu" had blown a strange powder in his face. A tingling sensation tickled the nerves in his body.

_Getting…dizzy…gonna…ohhh…_

Kakashi fell to his knees, struggling to stay conscious. He glanced up at Shiatsu who was grinning and blacked out.

Shiatsu chuckled silently and nudged Kakashi's head with her foot. He didn't' stir. "Good," she said. "Now I won't have any distractions to keep me from my main prize…"

She quickly flung him over her shoulder with ease and took off for Konohagakure…


	4. Itachi's Plan

At the entrance gate of Konohagakure Village

Shiatsu had approached the gates and was easily let in. Curious villagers swarmed around her, asking her about the mission, Kakashi, and her other teammates. She only continued forth to her destination with no reply.

Once she reached Kakashi's apartment, she entered and set Kakashi on his bed. She looked at him in disgust, but reminded herself that the sleeping powder would last a few days.

Shiatsu smiled and thought, No distractions this time.

Shiatsu's Mind

As Itachi and Shiatsu stared at Kakashi, Shiatsu had a look of sadness across her face. Itachi noticed her grief and said, "Fine, fool. Say your good-byes…"

Shiatsu stepped up to the plate, ready to control her body once more while Itachi sat back and watched. Shiatsu turned her head so that she looked at him and asked, "Why? Why are you letting me do this?"

Still keeping a hateful face, Itachi replied, "If I don't, you would only be a sobbing mass of tears who let's her emotions get in the way."

Shiatsu had a "whoa" kind of look on her face, but nodded nevertheless.

Back Outside

Itachi's cold glare melted into a look of softness. Shiatsu's hand smoothly wiped away some blood from Kakashi's face. She kneeled down next to his head and whispered, "Kakashi…if you can hear me…I just want to tell you that…I'm sorry. I didn't want you to get hurt, and you won't anymore…I'll make sure of it. And also…"

Her fingers slowly traced the rim of his face mask before pulling it down. His pale skin was revealed and Shiatsu crept a little closer. She could feel Kakashi's breath on her face and she lightly held his chin in her hand. She bent closer and kissed him softly. The feeling of his lips on hers was almost enchanting.

As she let go of the kiss, she felt relieved.

"I love you," she said. Kakashi's eye twitched as if in reply. Shiatsu replaced his mask and shrunk back into her mind.

Shiatsu's Mind

"Hmph. You done now?"

Shiatsu nodded and added, "I have no regrets."

Itachi stepped up next to her and took a quick glance. Her mood was serious and her eyes were kept forward. Itachi chuckled to himself and thought, She's willing to accept fate…She's cooperating even when nothing is at stake…

Outside

Shiatsu's face had once again turned hateful and she headed toward the exit. Once she opened the door, a young man awaited her. "Hey, Shiatsu, how's Kakashi?"

Shiatsu put on a fake smile and replied, "Oh, he's alright. He just needs to rest a few days."

"Oh good." The young man put a hand to his forehead. "Also, the 5th Hokage requests your presence."

"Thank you, Iruka."

Iruka, having finished his business, left.

((Okay, peeps. I'm gonna do what happens in Shiatsu's mind with the Italic font. Please don't get confused! ))

_The real Shiatsu had become confused. How did you know Iruka's name? she asked Itachi._

_I took a quick look at your memories while you were with Kakashi._

_Shiatsu looked down. Ohh…_

Shiatsu quickly shut the door and headed off toward Tsunade's home.

Outside Tsunade's Door

Shiatsu took a gander of all the Hokage's scenery. A large bamboo wall served as a gate, and large hibiscus plants sprouted in a small garden by the bamboo. A small blue fern lay in the center of the garden.

_As Itachi guided her eyes along the sight of beauty, Shiatsu said, Wow! It's so pretty! I've never seen anything like it!_

_Itachi gave a small grunt and directed her body back on course._

Shiatsu approached the large wooden door and gave it a few knocks. It was soon opened by a woman with long blonde hair and appeared quite young for her age. cough cough50cough cough

"Shiatsu, eh? I've been expecting you. Come in."

_Itachi questioned Shiatsu, "This old hag is your teacher?" She nodded and said nothing._

Shiatsu followed Tsunade inside and sat on her tatami floor. Tsunade rested her arms on her small tea desk, holding a large bottle of sake in between her hands. Tsunade seemed to have a habit of getting drunk lately. It might be because of stress or it could be that it's sake. "So, Shiatsu…hic She took another sip of sake. "…Tell me about the mission." Yep. It's gotta be the sake.

_The real Shiatsu sat against a dark wall in her mind and listened to all the lies Itachi told._

_She thought about how he could read her memories and decided that if he could she could. Suddenly, a small, tattered book appeared in front of her and she eagerly grabbed it. As soon as she flipped it open to a random page, a vivid, bloody image appeared._

_From Itachi's POV, she could see people lying in pools of blood. Itachi grinned as he gazed at the sight. A small whimper could be heard and Itachi looked to the source. A boy with black hair was on his knees and tears streamed down his face. He looked fearfully at Itachi._

_Itachi's look remained serious and he spoke. "Foolish brother…If you ever want to be strong enough, then run away. Despise me, live in spite. Hate everything other than yourself."_

"_GET OUT OF MY MEMORIES!"_

_The book Shiatsu was holding disappeared in flames and she returned to reality. She was trembling as sweat dripped down her face. She collapsed onto all fours, panting._

_Without looking, Itachi asked, "Remind you of something? Something similar to what you saw?"_

_She replied in fear, "How…could you?"_

_Itachi frowned. "I should be asking you that."_

"—and that's the whole story," finished Shiatsu.

Tsunade removed her hands from the sake bottle, something you rarely see her do, and began performing katas underneath the table. "That's very nice, Shiatsu, but…"

Shiatsu cocked her head in confusion. "…?...'But' what?"

Now finished with her list, Tsunade replied, "…But I want to hear the story from the _real_ Shiatsu. Kagegakure no Jutsu! Art of the hidden Shadow!"

_Itachi, who had been beside Shiatsu, was suddenly flung and chained against a wall. Shiatsu took this opportunity to take control._

Shiatsu's body had entered a death-like trance during the interval. Her face lied on the cool wood of the table and she didn't move.

Slowly, she regained conscience in a couple seconds. "Mmm…hn?"

"So, you've finally come too…here," Tsunade passed her a small cup containing some type of liquid. "Drink."

Shiatsu looked into the cup more thoroughly, swishing it's contents around. With it being Tsunade's doing, it was probably sake. Shiatsu took a sip and cringed. Alas, it was tea.

Tsunade grinned and said, "Yes, it's a little bitter…But, please, tell me who was controlling you all that time?"

The chunin tried to choke out Itachi's name, but was losing control. The tea cup she was holding shook as Shiatsu described the vision of Itachi's memory.

"Blood, death, crying,….brother….."

She paused for a while before saying, "…Itachi..," and collapsing on the tabletop.

Tsunade's eyes widened in horror and she dropped her sake bottle. Sake drooled out of the shattered glass and onto the floor.

"No…not Itachi…"

_Shiatsu had been purposely knocked out by a wave of chakra sent by Itachi. He grunted as he broke through one of the four chains pinning him against the wall. Curse that wretched Tsunade…_

Tsunade left Shiatsu lying on the table and headed to Kakashi's apartment. I must tell him what has become of Shiatsu! He's the only one she'll listen to!

She barged through the front door and entered his room. Kakashi was lying on his bed, trembling, sweating, and mumbling Shiatsu's name.

"Shiatsu…no, don't…Shiatsu…"

Tsunade edged closer and thought, He's dreaming….about Shiatsu…

The closer she got, the worse Kakashi got. His trembling quickly became uncontrollable spasms and his calls for Shiatsu became louder and desperate. "Shiatsu…Shiatsu! No! Don't, Shiatsu!"

Tsunade reached the edge of his bed and was about to wake him. Suddenly, Kakashi yelled, "ITACHI!"

The fifth Hokage found Kakashi's hand wrapped tightly around her neck as Kakashi sat upright, panting. His visible eye searched her over and he let go.

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama…I didn't mean to--"

"Yes, Kakashi. I know," she interrupted. "It seems you already know what has happened to Shiatsu. Am I right?"

Kakashi clenched his hands into fists and replied, "Yes, you're right."

There was a long pause before Kakashi said, "I'll kill him…"

"Yes…but think of _how_ you'll do it. Do you want to risk killing Shiatsu?"

Kakashi thought to himself with no reply. Tsunade frowned and said, "I thought so…"

She gave him a comforting pat on the back. "I know it'll be difficult, having to kill someone close to you…"

Kakashi placed his hands on his face and inhaled deeply. "Take me to him. Take me to Itachi."

Back to Tsunade's

As Tsunade and Kakashi entered the house, they both gasped as they saw that the house was empty. "She's gone!"

"No! Shiatsu!"

"We must locate her immediately, Kakashi!"

"Already on it, ma'am." Kakashi closed his eyes and brought up his hands, but gave a painful grunt. He clutched his right arm and sank to one knee. "Ow…Itachi—he broke my arm."

Tsunade reached into her pouch and pulled out some bandages and a long piece of cloth. "Give me your arm." She wrapped up his arm with the bandages and made a quick sling with the cloth.

She gave him a pat on the back and told him to not move his arm.

Kakashi sighed and said, "Thanks…"

Tsunade followed in suit and also sighed. "Well, it seems that without your arm combined with the power of your sharingan eye, it'll be more difficult to track her down." "So…What do you plan to do, Hokage-sama?" "I'll gather up all the village's elite shinobi, Jounin."

Kakashi hesitated before saying, "I'll start looking."

Tsunade nodded as approval. He must really care about her…but she _is _his only student left…this jounin exam wasn't expected to turn out so wrong!

Across the village in a small apartment was a teenage boy. He sat in front of a window, deep in thought. The wind gently caressed his black, raven-like hair. His black eyes, expressionless, stared outside. He rested his chin upon his hands as he thought.

Suddenly, he heard someone knock on the door. Without a care, he yelled, "Get lost."

The doorknob jiggled and soon opened.

"Now is that anyway to greet your big brother…Sasuke?"


	5. The UnBrotherly Bond

"!" Sasuke quickly stood up and spun around so that he faced the entrance. Itachi was waiting at the door with a smug grin, dragging an unconscious Shiatsu by the back of her vest.

Sasuke clenched his fists and growled, "Itachi…"

Itachi chuckled and said, "It's been a while…." He wandered over to an open chair and lightly set Shiatsu on it.

Noticing Shiatsu, Sasuke asked, "Who's she?"

Itachi grinned and replied, "She's my host. Unimaginable power is contained within her body." He chuckled again. "It's even more powerful than myself….so if our powers were combined…" He paused. "We'd be invincible."

Sasuke was confused. "Then why haven't you possessed her?"

"Why, brother, you know you would rather fight me like this. Besides, I don't want to damage her." He gave Sasuke a killing glare. "Now, hopefully, you've taken my advice eight years ago…and you'll be a good challenge."

Sasuke cracked his knuckles and replied, "Oh, I will be!"

To Kakashi

Kakashi wandered the village, searching for any signs of Itachi or Shiatsu. Where could he have gone? Suddenly, a giant flame burst from a nearby apartment window. "What the--!"

He sprang to the building while other people stared. Dashing past doors and climbing up stairs, he hoped that he wasn't too late.

To Itachi and Sasuke

As soon as the smoke cleared, Sasuke saw that Itachi had easily evaded his Phoenix Fireball Jutsu. ""

Itachi stopped smiling and took a look through the hole beside him. People stared with mouths agape at the destruction. He frowned and turned back to Sasuke. "Seeming how you've exposed me, dear brother…We'll continue this fight some other time."

A loud noise was heard outside the door and both brothers stared as Kakashi crashed through. "Itachi!"

"Hmph." Itachi quickly rushed to Shiatsu and began merging. "Too late," he said with a smirk.

"NO!" Kakashi grabbed Itachi's arm, the only part that hadn't merged. "Don't! Not again!"

Just then, Shiatsu's eyes popped open. A wide grin spread across her face and she punched Kakashi in the stomach, sending him flying across the room into a wall. "Aaah!" He landed onto the floor, coughing. Blood seeped through his mask as he glared at her.

Shiatsu got up from the chair and sneered at Kakashi. "Pathetic fool…"

She directed her attention to Sasuke. He trembled as she crept closer.

"Sasuke! Get out of the way!"

Sasuke felt a hand push him aside and he watched in horror as Kakashi leapt out the opening, dragging Itachi along with him.

As they fell, Kakashi smiled and held Shiatsu close. She struggled to escape, but was unable to.

Kakashi knew that he would die from a headfirst leap from a three-story building. He listened to the rushing wind and the screams of the people below.

He crept close to Shiatsu's ear and whispered, "Shiatsu…If you hear me, I'm sorry that it has come to this…"His tone turned into anger. "But as for you, Itachi…I'm delivering you to HECK!"

Shiatsu's body began to glow and Itachi appeared between the couple, grinned, and disappeared.

"Noooo!" Kakashi yelled as they fell to their death.

"Kakashi…Kakashi…MR.HATAKE!"

"GAAH!"

Kakashi woke with a fright to see Tsunade's…not so reassuring face. "So, you're finally awake! We've been waiting for you!" She said.

Clutching his stomach, Kakashi asked, "What happened?..."

Tsunade sighed and shook her head. "Tch, tch, tch…I would've expected you to remember more. But I'll tell you anyway…

You and Itachi were fighting…Itachi beat you up…You tried to commit suicide…And I saved you! And that's how you're here!" She smiled and patted him on the back. "Now you should rest."

After Tsunade left, Kakashi pondered over what had happened. Shiatsu…

Later that night

Tak, tak, tak. A soft tapping noise could be heard coming down the hall. The doorknob to Kakashi's room jiggled and opened. Shiatsu tumbled in on crutches, too weak to support herself.

Kakashi, who had been staring at the ceiling, noticed her. "Shiatsu?"

Her reply was more of a relieving sigh as she sat on the bed. "Mm-hm."

There was a long moment of silence before she spoke up. "Tsunade told me I'm not supposed to get out of bed…She told me you were all right, but after what happened…I had to see you for myself."

After being reminded of Itachi, Kakashi became tense. Shiatsu sensed his anger and got up. She staggered, but finally gained balance. Tak, tak. She had reached the door, but Kakashi called her back.

"Wait…Shiatsu." She turned to him, awaiting what he had to say.

"Shiatsu…Do you…Is he, Itachi…gone?"

She turned away with a sad smile.

"No…" Another long silence passed. "He may be gone now, but he's still out there. Good night."

She left Kakashi in deep thought about Itachi and headed back to bed.

Morning

Shiatsu awoke, still in Tsunade's home, relieved. She was still on crutches, but could take a couple steps from her bed. She smiled and went to join the others.

Tsunade and Kakashi were in the living room, just about to eat breakfast. They greeted Shiatsu as she entered. She smiled and sat down with them.

While Tsunade fetched her a plate, she noticed that Kakashi was back to normal. He was out of bed and his arm was fixed. He was actually in a much better mood than yesterday.

Tsunade rushed back with a well-prepared meal and set it in front of her. Shiatsu thanked her and dug in.

Realizing that they were the only ones eating, Tsunade and Shiatsu turned to Kakashi. He was blushing while holding a piece of food an inch away from where his mouth would be. He had forgotten his mask was still on.

Shiatsu and Tsunade realized this and waited to see what he'd do next. Shiatsu started to giggle, but reclined when Tsunade jabbed her elbow painfully into her ribs.

Suddenly, both women gasped. Kakashi's mask, the most sacred part of him, had been removed.

Kakashi politely ate his food while Shiatsu and Tsunade stared.

"What? Is there something on my face?"


	6. Itachi's Request

In a forest close to Konohagakure

Itachi lay nonchalantly between two large branches in a tree. He fidgeted with his straw hat before tossing it on the ground. A soft wind gently toyed with the hat, lightly nudging it.

Itachi paid the hat no head, for he was deep in thought. He couldn't get Shiatsu out of his mind. Shiatsu…She willingly complied to help me…for the sake of that man, Kakashi… His thoughts changed to power. She may have more power than she demonstrated when we met…When combined, we could be powerful…but if we work separately, we could be deadly…I must ask of her, reveal the dark side in her heart…and see how she responds…

Tsunade's Home

Everyone was pretty much doing their own thing. Tsunade was folding origami cranes, which had become an unhealthy hobby when she considered what to do with them. Kakashi, who was wearing an origami crane crown, sat on the floor reading his favorite novel. A very bored Shiatsu trotted around the room, getting used to her body and taking a few long peeks at Kakashi's book.

Knock knock!

Everyone turned to the door, staring at it before Tsunade answered it. The black-haired boy from the fight three days ago appeared and Tsunade invited him in.

They sat in a circle around the tea table in silence. All eyes were on Sasuke. He blushed and passed a small envelope to Kakashi. Kakashi picked it up and ripped it open.

"To Mr. Hatake,

By the time you have gotten this message, I will have already died. I am requesting that since you've lost two members of your cell and I've lost one of mine, if you could teach my students, Sasuke and Minari. I hope it won't be too much trouble, my dear friend.

Asuma Sarutobi"

Kakashi trembled as he read the note and crumpled it up. He stowed it in his pocket and bid Sasuke farewell. He sighed and a small tear could be seen in the corner of his eye.

Wanting to change the subject, Tsunade said, "You know what we need? A nice cup of blueberry tea! Shiatsu, would you be a dear and fetch some berries just outside the gate? You know, by that little bush?"

Shiatsu clenched her fists and mumbled, "My parents used to make that…" before leaving.

Once she left, Tsunade frowned and said, "Poor thing…It's a shame her parents died…"

Kakashi hesitated before asking, "Godaime-sama, is there any type of kekkei-genkai in the Hirogata blood-line?" Tsunade looked confused, "Yes, there is…but they call it more of a curse. Why do you ask?"

"Well, when I overheard Shiatsu and Itachi talking, I heard Shiatsu mention that she obtained a kekkei-genkai and she used it against them…her parents…and then she became immensely powerful, more powerful than Itachi!"

A shocked look appeared on Tsunade's face.

"She's obtained that!"

"What's wrong, Godaime-sama?" asked Kakashi.

Tsunade quickly stood up and replied in a serious tone, "I have urgent business to attend to."

In the forest outside the gate

Shiatsu wandered the brush, cradling a small basket in her arms. _Berries, berries, berries…_ she thought. Suddenly, she heard a noise and spun towards it. Nothing was there.

After a few minutes, Shiatsu came across the bush and began picking the berries off. She started to sob as she remembered her family. She wiped tears away and muttered, "Stupid parents…stupid brother…They deserved to die!"

A hand rested on her shoulder and a familiar voice followed. "They certainly did after what they tried to do to you. Wanting to kill someone just because of their power…Tragic."

_What!_ Shiatsu quickly spun around and yelled, "You who do you think you--!"

She stopped in shock, staring into sharingans.

In a small room for a meeting

All the Jounin of the village, including Kakashi, gathered around a table, waiting for Tsunade to speak. She quickly stood from her chair and announced, "It has come to my attention that…" She paused. "That there is a girl who has obtained the curse that almost destroyed our village 25 years ago…the Hirogata Curse!"

Many of the older jounin gasped.

_So that's why I didn't know of the curse! I was only a youngster!_ thought Kakashi.

Tsunade spoke up over the mass conversations. "The curse that has a mind of its own! A homicidal mind! Many have fallen victim to it and once it is unleashed, it can never be sealed!"

"What do you propose we do?" asked an older ninja.

"It's a Hirogata family tradition to rid of such beings, but this time, they've failed. The girl, Shiatsu, killed them once they knew. So now it is up to us…to KILL the last Hirogata!"

Back in the forest

Shiatsu gasped as Itachi stared at her. He took off his hat and his black hair glittered in the sunlight. "Hello, Shiatsu."

She let out a yelp of fright and scooted back into the bush. A kunai dagger was pulled from her pouch and was pointed at Itachi.

"If you do anything to me, I-I…I'll KILL you!" Her stuttering made Itachi chuckle.

His fingers tapped the tip of the kunai and gently brought it down. "I do not wish to harm you…I would just like to talk in private. Come."

Shiatsu hesitated. _Should I trust him?_ But looking at his calm face changed her mind. "Alright," she said.

Itachi led her to a tree and leapt up it. Shiatsu followed and took a seat next to him, glaring. What did her want her for? What will he say?

Itachi unbuttoned the top of his coat to cool off. He spoke up. "Shiatsu, you may not know this but you and I are alike."

"…How so?" asked Shiatsu.

"Our powers…exiled….from your own family….even your own village."

"Whoa, whoa! Hey!" She became furious. "I'm not an exile!"

"Shut-up. Someone has just revealed your secret…to the whole village—"

Shiatsu had a shocked appearance and tears welled in her eyes. "No…" She scooted away from him. "It's not true...I won't believe you! You're LYING!"

Itachi grabbed her arm. "You'll see, but just to let you know, if you have no place to go…no one to turn to…I'll be waiting."

Shiatsu yanked her arm from his grasp and looked at him, scared and confused.

"I'll be waiting," he repeated.

She quickly jumped from the tree and sped towards the village.

_No! It's not true! My secret's not revealed! It never will be!_

Itachi frowned, remembering his own, similar past….


End file.
